Page 45: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 1998)

Get Rid Of Steel Face Wires For Good!

Since the late 1980's we have pioneered the use of these high strength ropes on the river. Today they are widely used and accepted as an integral part of safety programs, reducing the risks and injuries associated with using and handling wire rope.

Shaver Transportation "Deschutes" pushing grain barges on the Columbia

River using 1-1/4" diameter Mooring

Master™ D-7. Photo by Hugh Ackroyd.

Contact us for a copy of our "Inland River Guide."

APPLICATIONS: • Face and Wing Wires

BENEFITS: • 85% lighter than wire rope of the same diameter with equal or greater strength • Flexible and lightweight (floats) • Fewer crew needed for line handling duties • Reduced risk of accident or injury

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

AmSteel® is a twelve-strand braid having similar strength to wire rope in the same diameter and is identified by its steel grey color.

AmSteel®-Blue is also a twelve-strand braid but has approximately 45% higher strength and better abrasion resistance than AmSteel®. Identified by its distinctive blue color

Mooring Master™ D-7 is a unique construction with seven load-bearing braided cores with a protective jacket of braided nylon.

AMERICAN GROUP 2090 Thornton Street Femdale, WA 98248

Phone: (800) 227-7673 or (360) 384-4669

Fox: (360) 384-0572 www.theomericangroup.com

Circle 108 on Reader Service Card

Handy

Ffenamax

Cape 10-Year Bulk Carrier Freight Rate Trends

I M I II "P" table I

Estimated Seaborne Dry Bulk Trade: 1996 -98 (Million tons) 1996 1997* 1998"

Iron Ore 390.0 419.5 420.5

Coking coal 171.8 174.0 170.5

Steam coal 261.2 277.0 290.0

Grain 190.0 185.0 191.0

Major Bulks 1,013.0 1,055.5 1,072.0

Agribuiks 88.3 88.3 91.1

Fertilizers/raw mats. 108.8 109.7 110.7

Forest Products 171.7 172.3 174.5

Iron & Steel Products 109.5 113.3 113.5

Cement 48.5 50.0 49.0

Bauxite/alumina 56.0 52.5 50.5

Scrap 28.0 29.0 30.0

Metal ares & conc. 20.1 20.1 20.4

Non-metallic minerals 32.8 33.6 33.5

Other minor bulks 86.0 88.6 87.7

Minor Bulks 749.7 757.4 760.9

Total 1,742.7 1,812.9 t,832.9 * Provisional. ** Rrst estimates, prepared 1Q98.

Source: Drewry Shipping Consultants Ltd. — Ihe Dry Bulk Quarterly

Source: Drewry Shipping Consultants Ltd.

Doubtless, some will question whether some of these are firm orders or "berth space bookings," to what extent the "refund guaran- tee" problems facing South Korean builders will impact and whether owners will look to cancel orders and/or defer deliveries. Sentiment sees continuing inexorable fleet growth — especially given the dif- ficulties shipbreakers appear to be having over merely staying in business — and this may well develop a negative market momen- tum.

Could a major slowdown in fur- ther bulk carrier ordering change the picture? The answer is yes but is it achievable?

Ship owners and those that finance them tend to view deals individualistically. As a result, the outcome can be — to outside observers at least — a lack of mar- ket discipline. If newbuilding prices remain low, will the "buy now while stocks last" mentality prevail?

A further factor in the equation is the current stampede of ship own- ers to raise very large sums of money through junk bond issues.

Is this going to further stoke up new ship demand?

The year 1998 is set to be a mem- orable year for the dry bulk mar- ket, though the memories may well be unpleasant ones. It is like- ly to be memorable because the dry bulk sector faces a situation against which it has no real bench- mark. Certainly it is used to cycli- cal behavior — sometimes extreme — but not dislocation. Indeed, some in the industry have suggest- ed that there has been nothing to match the discontinuity factor of the Asian collapse since the Suez crisis. Each new release of statis- tics on Japanese and South

Korean steel production, Chinese ore imports, new ship orders, sales to breakers, etc. is likely to be scrutinized more deeply in the search for comfort. finCimJJ-*1*" ^ /' i' the recognized world leader in the field of Marine Sealing Systems

ANTI-POLLUTION STERN TUBE

SEALING SYSTEMS

RUDDER STOCK SEALS

BULKHEAD SEALS

THRUSTER SEALS

MECHANICAL PUMP SEALS

COMPLETE ENGINEERING & TECHNICAL FIELD

SERVICE SUPPORT

FULLY SPLIT SEALS A VAILABLE

John Crane Marine 1536 Barclay Boulevard, Buffalo Grove, Illinois 60089 Phone: 847/808-9240 Fax: 847/808-9295

June, 1998 Circle 240 on Reader Service Card 45